Orthotics put new spring in boy’s step
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is part of the “PRH: Making A Difference” series of articles appearing daily in the Penticton Herald until Nov. 3, highlighting Penticton Regional Hospital as it moves towards the opening of its new patient care tower in the spring of 2019.
Clark Page just wanted to run as fast as his schoolmates. Now he can — thanks in large part to a set of custom-moulded orthotic footwear inserts funded through the South Okanagan Similkameen Medical Foundation.
Clark was just six years old when Penticton pediatrician Dr. Manoj Parameshwar noticed his feet had fallen arches, recalled his father Allen Page. Further tests confirmed the diagnosis.
Soon staff in the orthotics department at Penticton Regional Hospital made a cast of Clark’s feet for some custom-made inserts. New footwear also had to be purchased.
“He was really impressed with the red racing shoes — he got to choose which colour of shoes he wanted,” Allen said with a chuckle.
For a boy who loves to play soccer on the school field at recess and lunch, Clark’s new footwear was an immediate hit. Within a week, he was entirely at home with the inserts.
His father noticed the difference too.
“When he was sprinting across the field, you could actually see that he was running better,” Allen said. “He was running straight, not just ‘lumbering along’. He had a different gait to him. His feet were positioned as they should be.”
“It was a great thing to see him actually excited about running around. He was saying; ‘I can keep up to the kids now, Dad.’ Now, he’s talking about how he’s faster than half the kids in the playground.”
For a growing child, new orthotics are needed every couple of years to match a larger shoe size. Now eight years old, Clark is into his second pair. Normally, the orthotics for growing children must be remoulded every 18-24 months.
Allen praised the SOS Medical Foundation for helping their family acquire the orthotics.
“It was an expense clear out of the blue — and these things cost hundreds and hundreds of dollars. It was a real blessing.”
Penticton pediatrician Dr. Katherine Gross knows full well the benefits orthotics can have on young patients, including those with loose “hyper-mobile” joints.
“Children who are too flexible sometimes sprain and strain things and have weak ankles that collapse more easily. They’ll get aches and pains in the hips and knees and back,” Dr. Gross said.
In many cases, inserts are required.
The orthotics program at PRH often deals with children as young as four or five, especially if they suffer from chronic arthritis in the feet and ankles. Most range in age from six to 19 years old, although many patients wear orthotics through adulthood.
“We look at how the various components of the foot are bearing weight and trying to make it so that from the ground up, the weight is being distributed evenly across the knee joint and up to the hip,” she explained. “It’s just one component of what you can do to help straighten things up.” Pain is another key marker. “If they’re having secondary pain and tightness in the muscles and severe physical symptoms of poor alignment of the knees and hips, then I think they benefit from it in the long run.”
Dr. Gross said in addition to the orthotic inserts, solid footwear is important to help stabilize the foot and the ankle.
The PRH orthotics program connection with the SOS Medical Foundation is a big plus, Dr. Gross said.
“With a lot of the kids, families can’t afford the good shoes, so the orthotics program helps them actually get a good pair. I think it’s been really helpful to us as a program to be able to have that resource when we feel we really need it.”
PRH is currently undergoing a $312-million expansion and the South Okanagan Similkameen Medical Foundation is raising $20 million to provide the medical equipment required. To donate, contact the SOS Medical Foundation at 250-492-9027 or visit our website at sosmedicalfoundation.com.